Boxing has always made for great drama. And in the history of the sweet science, there are few fighters who can match Roberto Duran’s flair for the dramatic.
Whether he won or lost, a Duran fight was an event that transcended boxing and crossed cultural boundaries.
Now, executive producer David Schuster is combining those elements to finally bring the Duran story to the silver screen.
Schuster’s Winner Take All Productions and Scott Pardo Films are in development to produce a feature film on Duran, the former five-time world champion from Panama. The film is based on Christian Giudice’s book, “Hands of Stone: The Life and Legend of Roberto Duran.”
“Roberto Duran is one of the greatest boxing champions in history,” said Schuster. “We are proud to be making this contribution to the rich genre of boxing films.”
In addition to Winner Take All and Scott Pardo Films, Jeff Waxman (co-producer of Acadamy-Award winning “The Fighter,” and “Law Abiding Citizen” and executive producer of the soon to be released “Mirror Mirror”) and Tony Grazia (“21 and Over” and “Narc”) are partnering to produce this legendary boxing tale.
This is Schuster’s third boxing offering. In 2009, he produced “A Fighting Chance,” a documentary on the journey of the Cuban boxer. He also executive produced last year’s critically acclaimed Off Broadway play, “Kid Shamrock, ” based on the life and career of former middleweight contender Bobby Cassidy.
“There are few athletes as compelling as fighters and their stories are as real as it gets,” said Schuster. “I’ve loved the sport of boxing my entire life. So being able to tell these stories is a dream come true for me. Scott Pardo has written a fantastic script based on Cristian’s book. This movie is going to be as powerful as a Duran
right hand!”